Disclaimer: I don't own S.A. I only own this plot and story.

Day 2

A Not So Nice Greeting

With the sun in my face, I groaned and rolled over to face the digital clock. It was cute; a small little box painted pastel blue with bright red numbers. In all, it stood out against the brown wood that most of the room was carved out of.

I jolted up, realizing that it was eleven. Scrambling to gather up my clothes, I didn't even bother to take a shower. The staff meeting and welcome event that Satoru had talked about was scheduled at 11:30.

As I was about to wake up my Mom, a crisp note was taped onto her pillow.

Hikari, make sure you come to the welcome event! I didn't want to wake you up, but I did wipe a bit of your drool off. Meet me down at the fire pit~

The curly handwriting with loops in every which way made me quickly identify it as my mother. She was like that. In fact, while reading the note, I practically read it in her voice, making faces to add to the effect.

I slipped on a white, cotton jacket that went halfway to my elbow, draped over a baby blue tank top. Capris that went to my mid calf, along with plain white flip flops completed the outfit. I wasn't much for dressing nice; I mean, a tee shirt and cargo shorts would serve me perfectly. But my Mom had insisted…

Sighing, I unlocked the front door with the spare key my mother had given me. Locking it before I left, I made my way towards the fire pit, where the welcome had already begun.

"-you once again. We have many generous volunteers and workers that will try and make your stay here as enjoyable as possible. Many of them only have set shifts, so when they're off, they're free to talk and hang out with."

I leaned against a tree and smiled to myself. All in all, Satoru wasn't a bad guy. He was a nice man. I listened to bits and pieces of his speech, when I suddenly saw two teenagers that looked remotely close to my age.

"And the main music director is-" "Also, Jun and Megumi Yamamoto are two volunteers that give singing and violin lessons to many kids. So, stop on by and try your hand at it." Jun and Megumi, the boy and girl, looked nearly like twins. Their hair, skin, and eyes, were in the same shade. The girl seemed to be holding a board, waving her hand in the air with a small smile.

"Now, we also have a few restaurants here, along with a mess hall. If you're in the need for something simple, visit the mess hall. We have a long line of waitresses and waiters that couldn't be here…," Satoru continued. I yawned, blinking twice. "-This is Akira Toudou and Ryuu Tsuji, two of the finest chefs at the mess hall." A tall girl with purple hair and a green haired guy stepped forward, bowing. I wasn't sure why, but when they waved, I felt the need to wave back.

Satoru droned on for a bit more. While he was talking, I scanned the bleachers for my mother. It was easy to find her, staring eagerly at Satoru.

"And lastly, this is my son, Kei Takishima!" Said boy walked to the front of the stage next to Satoru. "He's in charge of the athletic department."

"I love you, Kei!" somebody shouted. He flashed them a… sad smile. With his brown hair, matching eyes, and annoying cowlicks that stood on top of his head, I felt a deep envy come up inside of me. Not envy for that girl, but jealousy of him. Something on the spot made me realize I hated him. And he was in charge of the athletic department, the one place I'd probably be. Still, he seemed vaguely familiar…

When the meeting ceremony commenced, everyone scrambled to meet the staff. Purposely avoiding the Takishima kid, I skidded around him to where the girl, Megumi, seemed to be.

"Hi, I'm Hikari."

She blinked twice, grinning at me. "Hi. I'm Megumi!"

I stared at her dry erase board, where these words were written, but quickly shrugged it aside. She seemed nice. "So, you give music lessons?"

"Singing, to be exact!" She seemed to beam at my comment. From the way she smiled, it was easy to tell that music was her passion. Her skin... almost looked as if it was glowing.

Other people were beginning to crowd around us, so I declared that I would visit sometime and listen to her. Waving, I began to search for somebody else, when I bumped into another girl.

"Oops, sorry!" she apologized, grinning wildly at me. "Were you looking for Kei?"

"Kei?" I asked. His name seemed completely familiar, though I couldn't put his face with any of my memories. The girl gave a look of… something, and pointed over to where a crowd of girls were flocking.

She shifted her eyes back to me. "I dunno. Girls always fall for him… though I prefer Jun, he's, like, a prince!"

"So, you've been here before?" I suddenly asked, aware of how comfortable she seemed here. The way she said Jun's name was obvious that she knew him at some point.

She flashed a toothy grin, putting a hand out. "Sakura Ushikibo, nice to meet'cha! I'm a waitress over at Luz Verde… of course, they didn't introduce me," she breathed. "What about you? Is this your first year working?"

Furrowing my brows, I sighed. "What? No, I'm a guest…"

She made a look that was a cross between confusion and understanding. Slowly, her face lit up with realization.

"Oh, sorry! It's just… we don't usually get kids and teens over the age of 14… which is why most of our staff is 16 to 19. Unless there are really young kids, most parents just drop them off…" I nodded swiftly as she continued, "But, you know, we can hang out. Meet me at the mess hall later!" she waved, scurrying away.

I waved back, searching for my mom. Most of the flocks of girls that surrounded that one guy, Kei, were leaving in waves. Now that I looked closer, they all seemed between the ages of 12 o 14, fairly young.

Well, one look and I knew my mother wasn't here. I overheard others talking about how the maps were in the mess hall. …Really? How was I supposed to go to the mess hall if I didn't even have a map? I sighed, walking off in some random direction. I could see a few people here and there, but other than that, it seemed deserted- a completely different mood than how it felt yesterday.

"Hey!"

Turning, I was surprised to see that Kei guy running up to me. I waited until he caught up, then resumed walking with him at my side.

"Are you new here? If you're a waitress, they need extra shifts at Luz Verde," he said quietly, a yawn caressing his features.

I blinked twice. This was the second time someone mistook me for a waitress in the past hour. "Um, no, I'm a visitor, looking for the mess hall."

He grunted, making a look of dissatisfaction when I glanced over. Up close, that face seemed horrendously similar to someone I knew. But I couldn't paint a clear picture.

"Oh, sorry, it's just that…"

"I know, I know. Sakura explained it to me." By now, I could see that mess hall in the distance. Two restaurants were next to it on either side. "Hey, do I know you?" I asked, looking at him head on. I would be more surprised if I didn't know who he was.

It was obvious that he paled considerably, but he quickly covered it up with a smile. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

I flicked open the mess hall door, seeing people already lined up to get their food. I could see the green haired chef working at an alarming rate. If it was bad here, then I wondered how bad it was at Luz Verde, where there was a shortage of waitresses…

"Oh, it's nothing," I lied. "You… just look… familiar," I stammered, and in a bad way, I didn't add.

I walked away to the opposite wall, where a rack of map covered it. I reached on my tippy toes and flipped it open, setting myself at a table to read it.

There was a big block of cabins that read 'Visitors' by the entrance of the camp. Next to it was another block of cabins of smaller size that said 'Staff'. Beside the staff cabins was Luz Verde, the mess hall, and another restaurant named The Factory. The fire pit resided at the other side of the camp, right next to the track. Inside the track was the athletic department, where I assumed the courts were. The lake was a bit off from there, covering a big stretch of the camp. In the center of the camp was the music department, special events room, Grand Park, and the nurses office.

Folding the map in fourths, I tucked it into my back pocket before making my way over to the door. There I saw Sakura chatting happily away with Megumi, her brother, and the purple haired chef. Why wasn't she helping the other chef? Maybe it wasn't her shift? With nothing else to do, and nobody else I knew, I hastily walked over.

"-and then, he ate all the cheesecake I made for his family!" the purple haired girl sang.

"No way!" Sakura added, suddenly noticing how awkward I was staring at them. "Hikari, come here! Akira, this is Hikari Hanazono," Sakura beamed as I scooted closer. "Hikari, this is Akira Toudou. And this is Jun and Megumi-"

"We've met," I cut in, nodding to Megumi, who smiled brightly in return. I held my hand out for both Akira and Jun. Akira wore a sleeveless purple shirt with lace on the bottom and collar. Her white jeans complemented the outfit. I felt a certain awe; she was gorgeous. Jun, on the other hand, looked similar to Megumi. Good enough to be-

"I'm Jun, Megumi's twin," Jun swiftly said. Their voices were even similar!

I creaked a smile in his direction. Before I could say anything else, Akira grunted.

"Yahiro! Get your filthy hands off of her!"

Turning, I wasn't sure what to make of the sight in front of me. Yahiro, I presumed, had snaked his hands around Megumi's waist, his cheek pressed against her hair. He looked like he was dreaming- in a daze. And Megumi's face was a deeper shade of scarlet than I thought was humanly possible.

"Megumi, is that your boyfriend?" I blatantly asked. Everyone- minus Yahiro- made a look of shock before erupting into fits of comments.

-"Yahiro? Megumi? I don't think so!"

-"They'd be cute together, though!"

-"Yahiro's a beast! A bad influence for sweet little Megumi!"

-"Ew, no!"

Yahiro chuckled darkly before retracting his arms to his side and laying his head lazily in the palm of his hand. "Are you a new waitress? You look like a Verde Green waitress."

I scoffed at his words. The third time somebody made that miscalculation! "No, are you? You certainly look the part of a waitress."

Akira laughed at my choice of words. "I like you!" she remarked, suddenly turning her attention back towards Yahiro. "Get your hands off of her!"

While Akira chased the violet haired man, who was busy carrying Megumi over his back, the Yamamoto twin pulled at his hair.

"Is it… is it always like this?" I commented, pulling on the collar of my shirt. Jun gave a nervous laugh.

"It's worse with Kei," Sakura sighed, before giggling at the scene unfolding. Somehow, Megumi had gotten on top of Yahiro and was trying to strangle him with no results. Akira had caught up and was slamming his head down hard onto the floor. Through this, Yahiro just laughed evilly.

Akira finally stood up, wiping whatever might have gotten on her on Yahiro's face. "So, who's hungry?"

"Me!" I beamed, standing up. Guests at the surrounding table stared at me funny, and yet, they ignored the Megumi-Yahiro-Akira scene that was probably three times louder.

Akira retrieved an apron and swiftly tied it around her waist. "Is soup okay? We're sorta busy at the moment, so…"

"No, no, that's fine! Thanks!"

She smiled and retreated to the kitchen. Yahiro, Jun, Megumi, Sakura, and I all sat at a nearby table, where I was loaded with questions.

"So, how long are you staying here?" Jun questioned, yawning.

"About 3 weeks! You guys give music lessons, don't you? Why aren't you there?"

"The Music Department opens on the 5th day of camp."

Suddenly, the green haired chef came out of the kitchen double doors, tossing the discarded apron onto a hook. Megumi and Jun all at once came out of their seats and latched onto him.

"Ryuu, how was work?" Jun asked, a smile touching the tip of each ear.

"Hectic!" the chef replied, running a hand through his hair.

"Hikari, this is Ryuu Tsiju," Sakura gushed, nodding at him. "And Ryuu, this is Hikari."

"Ah, a new waitress-"

"No, no, just a guest," I corrected through clenched teeth. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, Kei! What are you doing here? I thought you had to go to your shift."

I turned with dread quickly overcoming my face. It was that Takishima kid chatting away with Sakura. Something stirred inside of me at seeing his face- and it wasn't a good thing. I knew that face. I could've sworn it.

"It's not too busy right now. Just a few families walking around the track with their dogs." He faced me, then smiling. "Oh, why hello Hikari."

"Takishima," I hissed, saying each syllable on its own.

Jun looked at both of us, exchanging confused faced with Megumi, who shrugged in return.

"Gosh, I'm starving! What's for-"

Another guy with messy, brown hair, barged in through the door. I only had a quick glance over at him, but knew in an instant that he was staring. He stopped mid-stride, as if he could feel the tension radiating off of me.

"Wait a second… Hikari?"

A light bulb went off in my head. "Tadashi?"

Uh oh. Next chapter you'll learn how Hikari knows Tadashi, and Kei. And I know this one is shorter than expected. :/ This was pretty much meeting everyone. Next chapter won't be amazing, but Day Four will!

This story will be sticking to the original's as much as possible, with the exception of a few things; mainly Hikari knowing a few people in the past. If you haven't read the original, and want as few spoilers as possible, just stick to this story!

Deviantart: LilacsAngel

Preview:

This had to be a different guy. The only reason that funny feeling was rising up in my chest was because they had the same name. But how many guys had the exact same name and similar looks as they did two years ago?

"Takishima," I started, an edge latching onto my voice. I felt like I already knew the answer. Heck, I even called him 'Takishima', like I did before. "Did you go to a Hakusen Academy?"

He flashed another sad smile, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I didn't think you'd remember. Yes, Hikari, it's me."